Ice spur



Sept. 27, 1955 c. PENNEY ICE SPUR Filed Feb. 24, 1953 II. A z 9 2pm 7 IN VEN TOR. C'Za'ren cell Pen 7: 6

1E E J 13 United States Patent ICE SPUR Clarence L. Penney, Mason City, .Iowa

Application February 24, I953,"Serial No. 338,217 .7 Claims. (CI. 36-61) This invention is an -ice spur of the'type involving means for ready application to the shoe or foot of the user and possessing prongs or spurs capable of being easily and quickly adjusted so as to engage icy or slippery surfaces to prevent the user from falling or slipping.

The present invention is 'a further development and improvementupon the ice Spur heretofore patented to me on November l-=8, "1952, No. 2,-61 8;'0'79.

A par ti'cul'ar object-of the present invention is to provide a creeper or spur body capable of being easily and accurately adjusted and applied to footwear 'of'variou's sizes and as easily removable therefrom, and wherein the spur supporting body is equipped with means easily operated to project or retract the ground engaging-spurs.

A further object is to provide'anice creeper whose supporting body is of simple and inexpensive construction and which maybe manufactured and assembled at comparativ'elysm'all cost, and wherein the movable ,parts associated-therewith are also of simple and comparatively 'inexpensive construction "yet capable of readily withstanding the :stresses and strains as well as wear to which they will be subjected when in use.

A fiurther object o'f th'e invention is to provide simplified means in connection W'iththe creeper body whereby either of "a pair of ground engaging spurs may be projected or retracted in order to suit the desires of the particular user.

With'the foregoing objects 'inview, together with others whih'willappear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described :more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in'the claims.

)In the drawings:

Fig. 1 715 :21 side elevation of a creeper constructed in accordance with .the invention and showing how the creeper will appear when applied to a conventional shoe: the view showing the parts in the position they will assume when the spur is in projected or operative position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l and showing the parts in the position they will assume with the spur retracted or in inoperative position,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View through the creeper taken substantially upon the line 33 of Fig. 1. A

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a rubber strap or band of conventional form which may be utilized in securing the creeper to the foot of the wearer.

In carrying out the invention, the body of the creeper is in the general form of a stirrup 6 comprising a pair of elongated metallic plates 7-8 of identical size disposed in sliding engagement one upon the other, each of which has at its outer end an upstanding side plate 9. The uppermost bottom plate 7 is provided with spaced longitudinally aligned slots 10 through which project the upper ends of screws 11 threadedly engaged at their lower ends in suitable openings in the underlying plate 8. It is obvious from this construction that the plate 78 may be adjusted Z ,7 l8 ,7 l6 Patented Sept. "2.1 T955 lengthwise with respect to one another and that the adjustments may 'be maintained by tightening the screws 11.

The upper ends of the side plates .9 are each provided with a slot 12 opening in from the .forward side wall of the plate, in order that loops or hands '13 may "be engaged with the arm portion 14 of the side plate beyond the slot '12. This arm portion may 'be reinforced by the rib 15 as shown, and the slot 12 is preferably arcuate in order that the bands 13 will be retained in engagement with the .arm 14'when under stress.

Secured to the underside of the stirrup '6 and longitudina'lly thereof are a 'p'air-of spring metal creeper plates 16 and 17. These'p'lates are secured to the creeperbodyby a screw 18 passing through suitable .aligned openings in the plates '16 and 17 and having threaded engagement at its inner end in the lowermost plate 8 of the stirrup. The uppermost 'of the creeper plates '16 is slightly longer than the lowermost creeper plate, and each of these plates is provided at its ends with downturned sharpened spurs '19. The uppermost of the creeperp'lates is substantially longer than the 'breadth cit-the stirrup 6 so as to be disposed beyond the upstanding side plates 9. The side edges of the uppermost creeper plate 8 are provided with downturned guide mem'bers'20 to embrace the side edges of the creeper plates "and to assist in maintaining the latter in proper alignment "and against any tendency to rotation on the underside of the stirrup.

Pivoted'a's'at 21to each ofthe upstanding side plates .9 are "operating levers .22. 'Each lever .has prqjecting from the lower end *thereot an operating cam or lug 23 so ,positioned as -to bear against the underlying surfaceof the up perm'os't creeperplate '16 and to force the same downward: ly of the spur when the said lever is in operative position. In order to facilitate this movemenha .corner of the project ion or cam member 231s rounded as at 24 At the opposite side of the operating lever 22 is a laterally disposed outwardly projecting operating handle 25 which may .be readily gripped 'with "the fingers to rotate the lever 22 upon its pivot 21. Each of "the side plates 9 is provided with spaced outwardly projecting portions 26 and 27 so located as to maintain the lever "22 in either its operative or inoperative position.

ltw'ill'be observed, particularly with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, that the downwardly projecting spurs 19 of the creeper plates are not disposed in parallelism. 'This .arrangement 'adds to the eiiect iveness of the gripping of the teeth when the plates have been moved to operative position.

Ellhe creeper structure is adjusted to the size of the shoe with which it is to be used, this adjustment when once determined being maintained by tightening the screws 11 in the stirrup plates 7 and 8. Rubber bands or straps 13 may be looped beneath the arms 14 at each end and extend over the instep of the wearer as well as behind the heel thereof, thus firmly attaching the creeper to the shoe. In instances Where traction is not desired, the levers 22 will be rotated to the position shown in Fig. 2. The spring action of the steel plates 1617 enables the latter to assume a straight position such as is shown to the right of Fig. 3 of the drawing. When in this position, the cam portion or projection 13 will be arrested by the projection 26. When traction is desired, the levers are swung to such position that the cam or projection portion 23 will engage the topmost of the creeper plates 16, forcing the same, as well as the underlying plate 17, to a downward position such as is shown in Fig. 1 as well as to the left of Fig. 3. The cam or projection 23 is of such length as to project the outer ends of the creeper plates downwardly sufliciently far that the teeth 19 will be disposed beyond the lower surface of the heel and sole of the shoe. This distance will be determined, of course, upon the length of the cam member 23, and it will be understood that only a comparatively slight projection of the teeth 19 beyond the undersurface of the sole or heel of the shoe will be necessary. By reason of the variance in angularity of the teeth 19, it is at once apparent that gripping action of the teeth is accelerated, and any tendency toward slipping will be resisted or arrested by the teeth of either or both of the creeper plates. It may be found necessary only to utilize the gripping teeth at one side of the stirrup, in which event only one of the plates 22 may be moved to operative position, while on the other hand both sets of teeth may be rendered operative by proper manipulation of the operating levers 22. a

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided an ice creeper or spur of extremely simple construction, which may be manufactured by simple methods, with readily obtainable materials and assembled by simple operations. The several parts are so constructed as to minimize the opportunity for wear, breakage or derangement, and the assembly is such that the parts are at all times readily adjustable and ready for instant action when occasion demands.

I claim:

1. In an ice spur, a stirrup, side plates projecting upwardly in spaced relation from said stirrup, a creeper plate secured intermediate its ends beneath said stirrup with its ends projecting beyond the ends of said stirrup, an operating lever pivoted to each of said side plates, and a cam projection on each lever to engage and move said creeper plate ends when the said levers are in a predetermined position.

2. In an ice spur, a stirrup, upstanding side plates at the ends of said stirrup, an operating lever pivoted on each of said side plates, a creeper plate of resilient material secured intermediate its ends to the medial portion of said stirrup at the underside thereof, the ends of said creeper plate disposed beneath said operating levers, and cam members projecting from said levers to selectively engage and depress the underlying creeper plate ends when the said levers are in predetermined positions.

3. In an ice spur, a stirrup, side plates projecting upwardly from the ends of said stirrup, operating levers rotatably mounted upon said side plates, projections on said levers adapted when the latter are in one position to extend beyond the undersurface of said stirrup, and a creeper plate of resilient material secured intermediate its ends to the underside of said stirrup and longitudinally thereof and projecting beyond said side plates in the path of movement of said lever projections.

4. In an ice spur, a stirrup, side plates projecting upwardly from the ends of said stirrup, a lever rotatably mounted upon the outer surface of each of said side plates, a cam projection on each of said levers adapted when the latter are in one position to project beyond the undersurface of said stirrup, and a pair of spring steel creeper plates secured intermediate their ends to the medial portion of said stirrup upon the underside thereof and having their ends disposed beyond said side plates in the path of movement of said levers.

5. In an ice spur, a stirrup, a pair of upstanding side plates at the ends of said stirrup, a lever rotatably mounted upon the exterior surface of each of said side plates, a cam portion on said lever adapted when the lever is in one position to extend beyond the bottom of said stirrup, a pair of spring steel creeper plates secured intermediate their ends to the underside of said stirrup and extending at their ends beyond said side plates and in the path of movement of said cam portions, and means for maintaining said operating levers in various positions of rotary adjustment.

6. In an ice spur, a stirrup comprising a pair of fiat plates arranged one upon the other, means on said plates for maintaining adjustment of the same longitudinally of one another, a side plate extending upwardly from the ends of said stirrup, an operating lever rotatably mounted upon the exterior surface of each of said side plates, a pair of resilient creeper plates secured to the underside of said stirrup intermediate the ends of said creeper plates, said creeper plates normally disposed in parallelism with said stirrup plates, the ends of said creeper plates disposed beyond the ends of said stirrup, downwardly projecting teeth at the ends of said creeper plates, and cam portions on said operating levers so positioned as to engage the uppermost of said creeper plates and to deflect both of said creeper plates away from said stirrup when said levers are in a predetermined position.

7. In an ice spur, a stirrup comprising a pair of flat plates arranged in superposed relationship longitudinally of one another, one of said plates having longitudinally disposed slots therein, screws extending through said slots and threadedlyengaged in the other of said plates, a side plate projecting upwardly from each of said stirrup plates, an operating lever rotatably mounted upon each of said side plates, a pair of resilient creeper plates underlying said stirrup and secured intermediate the ends thereof to the lowermost of said stirrup plates, means on one of said stirrup plates for maintaining said creeper plates in alignment therewith, and the ends of said creeper plates disposed beneath and in the path of movement of said operating levers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,261 Hitchcock May 1, 1888 822,662 Feister June 5, 1906 2,431,748 Gershak Dec. 2, 1947 

